In normal circumstances, face masks are a rarity that’s usually adorned by a select group of persons. Masks are worn by people whose profession involves the emission of harmful substances like gaseous waste or liquid droplets. In recent times, the tide has changed; it’s required of everyone to put their face masks on at all times due to the corona virus outbreak.

There have been controversies concerning the right conditions under which face masks are to be used as well the necessary precautions to take. This article answers some of the questions on the safe and proper use of Hospital face masks.

When should you put on your medical face mask?

During medical procedures: As medical personnel, you are probably getting exposed to several hazards daily due to the nature of your profession. Health care practitioners come across various individuals who have a range of diseases, and it’s often unsafe to attend to these individuals without adequate protection. Medical face masks are designed to provide you with optimal protection against viral and bacterial infections that could prove harmful to your health.

Prevention of virus: The recent outbreak of the corona virus has led to massive usage of medical face masks for protection. In many ways, medical face masks can reduce your chances of getting infected even when you go close to an infected person. With a three-layer filter, these medical masks are more than capable of shutting out harmful microbes in the form of droplets. It takes an infected person to sneeze around you for you to get contaminated, but the safe use of the medical mask is likely to prevent such a scenario.

Containment of virus: While masks provide optimal protection against harmful diseases getting into the body, they also help in reducing the spread of the virus. Medical face masks are designed to reduce the magnitude of the spread of the virus when an infected person sneezes out coughs.

How to wear your medical face masks

Carefully wash and disinfect your hand before using the mask: The purpose of using the medical face mask becomes entirely defeated if you do not clean and sanitize your hand before handling it. Your hand must have come across an infected surface, and the right thing to do is getting your hand sanitized. Alcohol-based sanitizers are recommended to sanitize your hands due to its effectiveness.

Fit the mask on your face with the coloured side facing outside: Right before you go ahead with fitting the mask on your face, it’s essential to check for holes or loose ends on the mask. Having confirmed that there are no holes on the mask, you can go ahead with wearing and fitting it around your nose and mouth. The colored side is designed to face outwards as it’s the side with liquid repellents.

Final thoughts

The use of medical face masks in the prevention of harmful infections has become a fad in recent times. This article highlights ways in which the use of masks could prove advantageous, as well as the necessary precautions to take while wearing the mask.